The Double (2014)

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I see some positive reviews about this movie, which makes me wonder : "am i missing something"?

Every day for the past seven years, Simon James commutes to his cubicle desk job, spoon-feeds his ill mother at a nursing home, and retires to his shabby one room apartment, accompanied only by the glow of his TV. The only time he isn't going unnoticed is when his ideas are rejected by his supervisor or he is mistaken for an intruder at his own place of work. Simon suspects that his neighbor and coworker, Hannah, just might be as lonely as he is. Following the pattern of his aching misfortune, however, Hannah becomes all the more elusive as a new coworker by the alias James Simon swoops in to claim all that Simon has ever yearned for. James, identical in appearance to Simon, takes on the role of both villain and introspective device for Simon who watches with agony as James lives out the life he has always wanted.The Double explores themes of suicide and depression in an intimate setting, yet does so in an artfully detached way that resonates with the isolation of mental illness. Direction of photography in The Double phenomenally mirrors Simon's state of mind. The bleak colors represent a life devoid of brilliance and passion. Unremarkable grays and dim lighting blur together, standing as a metaphor for the uncharacteristic repetition of Simon's life. Disabled by his social anxiety, Simon's feelings of inadequacy intensify and he downplays his innermost desires for romance and recognition at work as insignificant. The aspects of Simon's life are reminiscent of the rat race which so many working class citizens fall victim to. Simon takes care to walk inside the lines of the status quo, but after seven long years, he is on the verge of a mental breakdown. As Simon's life grows intolerable, he relinquishes control to his vivid daydreams, which manifest into the antagonistic character of James.The disturbing yet necessary dichotomy between Simon's control over the only thing he knows— his routine—and his helplessness as it is upended by James are painfully relatable. Rather than being relieved of this discomfort, the viewer is increasingly engaged as Simon faces rejection after rejection and becomes the object of disgust from all around him as he scrambles to live up to their impossible standards and compete with James.Simon's fruitless endeavors in his career and personal life are made more apparent by his rival James, whose brazen confidence leave Simon pallid in comparison. Because Simon is voiceless in his own reality, he can only live vicariously through imaginary character James. At first, the designation of James as a figment of Simon's imagination is questionable. The two are so distinct in personality that separating them comes naturally. It is only when James begins to befriend Simon that a merge between the two occurs. Under the feign of casual conversation on the subway train home, James learns Simon's insecurities in approaching women. The following day, James uses this information to blindside Simon and seduce Hannah. Usually self-restrained as Simon, alter-ego James is given boundless freedoms to act on his emotions. As the two characters become more alike and Simon loses his grip on the monotony that once kept him sane, hallucinations of James become his only escape as he gets lost in his fantasy world. Perhaps those who disliked The Double are intimidated by the story's messages. When Simon transforms from an ordinary man to the idyllic version of himself, all of life's pleasures are within arm's reach. The concept that chasing dreams ends in their realization is jarring for a man like Simon who has lost all hope for happiness. Simon represents the everyday working adult for whom this dream has also become a fantasy. James also punctuates this story by urging the audience to assess their own mental health. In particular, this demand is imposed by the ending of the film. In this story, you must quite literally kill yourself before you can be reinvented. The question remains, however, whether Simon's suicide was figurative or literal... and how his rebirth, if any, might shape the new chapter of his life.

The film The Double, based off of Dostoyevsky's famous novel, is a naturalist exploration of a depressed man named Simon's encounters with love, suicide, and his doppelganger James. This film is woven with experimental elements, unique stylistic choices, and wonderful and believable acting.The acting in this film is truly astounding, there are were I begin to believe Jesse Eisenberg is two different people on the screen. He wonderfully captures and develops ticks, quirks, and deeply genuine character design for both Simon and James. Even though the two characters look and dress the same, the confidence changes and difference in speech makes them feel like completely separate people. One can claim a lot of this realism may come from editing, which is also an impressive feat, but the natural delivery and banter between these two characters reveals true acting talent. Besides these two leading roles, the other actors delivered acceptably standard performances. They seemed to be supporting this acting feat of the main actor instead of finding their own voices and dimensions, which is fine in a piece with such a personal conflict. The acting was not the only impressive part of this film, the general design and experimental construction throughout was subtly very effective. The creators of this film built an entire world, a world that needed no further explanation than the information we received. The universe was based in an vague limbo, where items and locations were separate from eras we are familiar with and occupy a world and time period of their own. The general white noise and lo-fidelity audio production was quirky and worked with this universe as well, it is clear that these pops and hisses throughout the film could annoy or upset certain viewers but I thought it added a layer of uncertainty and alienation that benefited the film's aesthetic.Delving further into the film's aesthetic, there is a general mood to the film that is supported by characteristic cinematography and unique set design that makes this movie stand alone. All of the camera work in The Double is extremely purposeful and smooth, it follows the movement of the actors with mathematical framing and direction. Each shot has purpose meaning this film's direction goes out of its way to be interesting and deeper. In many shots the film emulates Kubrick or Wes Anderson with tight and straight framing where characters tend to be left or right justified. The camera is almost a character in itself in this film, working with Jesse Eisenberg's traits and go hand in hand with his detailed performances. All in all, this film is extremely compelling. It takes a well rounded and solid concept and adds a world of its own, with wonderful acting and a beautifully wild soundtrack. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes dark comedy and/or films involving analysis and deeper meaning.

I found this movie very fascinating, with all of its twists and turns I was engaged throughout. There were so many different things to look out for in this movie that it was hard to keep track of it all. With how the lighting was to the length of each shot to the sound in the background, it was a movie that was always visually and mentally interesting. Having a little bit of experience in the film making process I could enjoy watching the Double while also thinking about what everything I was watching meant. When we were first introduced to Simon James, he is in a train. There is no one else with him, I believe this is to symbolize how isolated he is all the time. Then when a man tells him to move he gives up easily and this is a part of Simon's character development throughout the movie. Throughout the movie the colors on screen have a greenish-yellow filter over them which shows just how grimy and unclean the world Simon lives in is. Also, during the whole movie, it's nighttime. Almost like they are inside throughout the whole thing. The creators of this film did that to show how closed in the world is and what little escape Simon has from the terrible life he's living. All of the previously stated observations made this movie really cool to watch. I liked picking out the little things that made this movie unique. When I was watching I liked how the colors and light were consistent to keep up the theme of the movie. All of the technical components had a big part in the story line and what the directors wanted us to think and feel from this movie.